The Denver Nuggets head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder with just one thing on their mind: can we get the regular starting lineup to play more than 5 minutes together soon? The Nuggets can’t catch an injury break, as Jamal Murray rolled his ankle in the second quarter and is questionable for this game. The Thunder look to be without Isaiah Hartenstein as well, but both teams should have plenty of motivation for this matchup after Lou Dort was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Nikola Jokic in the last matchup that led to an on-court scuffle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will still be out there to give Denver fits though, and even an injured Thunder squad is deeper than most.
When healthy, these might be the top two teams in the Association, but Denver hasn’t been healthy all year and OKC is dealing with some lingering issues down the stretch that somehow may make Denver the healthier squad for this one. Instead of being measuring sticks, these late-season games between two Western Conference foes are more like angry exhibitions. The stakes matter though, and with Denver threatening to fall to the level of the play-in tournament thanks to a bunched center in the West and these never-ending missed games for starters, Denver has to find a way to press the Thunder and see if they can force a win in the exact kind of clutch finish the Nuggets have been poor at all year. We’ll see if they can right that ship tonight.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (39-25) at Oklahoma City Thunder (50-15)
When: 5:30 PM MST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / League Pass
Rival Blog: Thunderous Intentions
Injury Report | Nuggets: Jamal Murray—day-to-day (ankle); Peyton Watson—out (hamstring)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Alex Caruso—day-to-day (hip); Chet Holmgren—day-to-day (flu); Isaiah Hartenstein—out (calf); Thomas Sorber—out (ACL); Jalen Williams—out (hamstring); Branden Carlson—out (back)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: If Jamal can’t go, can Jokic shoulder the offensive burden himself? Normally this is a no-brainer, but since his return from injury Nikola has not operated like his normal self. He’s had bad turnovers, poor shooting performances, and some lackluster rebounding against tough interior foes. Hartenstein is out and Chet Holmgren is listed on the injury report with the flu, so if there was ever a time for Jokic to decide to dominate a game then this would be it.
Denver is rested, so hopefully his teammates have more to give than they did in that sad performance against the New York Knicks. Jokic was one of the only bright spots in that as his effort and finishing touch were in top form – now they need him to be the MVP-level player he can be and do it again if they’re going to have a chance against OKC’s relentless defense and scoring. Aaron Gordon being back will help against the OKC on-ball pressure, but the Nuggets have to take care of the ball so that Jokic can finish their possessions with the best shots possible. Cam and AG played very tentatively against the Knicks, and that could be fatal against Oklahoma City.
The thing to remember: Denver is actually good at three point shooting. They still lead the league in three-point percentage. You wouldn’t know if from that Knicks game, but that was on a back-to-back when they started 2-for-23 and finished 8-for-40. Cam Johnson and Christian Braun especially need to find their three point shots again, but really everyone has to. OKC will have to shrink to the paint to keep Joker away from the basket, and the kickouts are going to be there. When Denver made threes against the Lakers they could take the win without their best performances. Denver doesn’t get up a ton of threes compared to the rest of the league, but if they are making them it changes the math for the Thunder in a hurry, as well as prevents transition attempts off long rebounds. Denver needs a steady diet of Nikola forcing OKC’s defense to react, and then Denver’s shooters making them pay. If they can, Denver can secure a victory.
The thing to bet: Me getting a migraine if one more injury happens. Win or lose, just don’t lose anybody else, Denver.
